#it might suggest a walrus to me but I’m willing be charitable

[oeuvrinarydurian]

It’s Morsestache Monday!

I love this scene.

The Morsestache is lush, vibrant and present, glowing in the fluorescent luminescence of his bunker and the vending machines. It’s a standalone character, part Tom Selleck, part Sean Connery, part Sweeney-era, all 1969.

The rest of Morse is tentative and shy, almost childlike, even a little apprehensive-not quite sure what response he is going to receive at this overture to resume their collaboration. 

For his part, Thursday is feeling his years, is embarrassed to find himself benched and demoted in front of his young protégé, and doesn’t quite know how to lead him with these debits on his ledger sheet.

Where you might expect at least a manly handshake, and a shoulder clap to reestablish connection, instead, you have a scene shot with a lot of vertical lines, indicating separation, distance, isolation, and a somewhat truncated, non-linear flow of conversation between them, with awkward gaps and silences, and unnatural speech patterns for them both. Fred doesn’t entirely turn around, and Morse hasn’t fully emerged from his cave. He reminds me of an eel, ready to dart back under a rock. We don’t see them truly face each other. They’re both protecting themselves.

It’s bittersweet and painfully awkward, as the two of them try to navigate this new reality without hurting the other or harkening back to better times which surely both of them miss terribly.